CFA Report Pegs US Crypto Fraud Losses at $80.7B

California's Digital Financial Assets Law requires firms conducting covered crypto activities for residents to hold a DFAL license, apply by July 1, 2026, or qualify for an exemption. Applications open on March 9, 2026, through the NMLS, with industry training on March 23.

Brevan Howard's BH Digital Asset fund experienced a 29.5% loss in 2024, its worst performance since inception in 2021, underperforming bitcoin's 6% loss. The fund invests in crypto tokens and digital asset-related companies, showing gains in 2023 and 2024.

Zora has introduced "attention markets" on Solana, allowing users to trade tokens based on internet trends, memes, and cultural moments. Users can buy and sell positions on whether a topic will trend on social media. Initial activity on the platform was limited, with the majority of trend markets struggling to attract liquidity.

Bitcoin's downtrend since October 2025 and the Nasdaq's stability indicate a divergence in response to AI job losses. Hayes predicts a dollar credit crunch, while McMillin views the situation as a single data point rather than a confirmed alarm.

Bitcoin's derivatives market is experiencing a rapid decrease in risk, with open interest plummeting by 55% to $44 billion from a peak of $94 billion in October 2025. This decline, attributed to various macroeconomic factors, has led to a reduction in leverage and speculative bets by traders.

Elemental Royalty announced that investors can now receive dividends in Tether's XAUT, offering direct ownership of physical gold. This move aims to differentiate the company as a growth-oriented investment, with investors expected to receive a 12 cent dividend in quarterly payments.

Abu Dhabi-based investment funds increased their Bitcoin exposure to over $1 billion by the end of last year, with Mubadala Investments and Al Warda Investments collectively owning nearly 21 million shares of IBIT, a BlackRock spot Bitcoin ETF. Following Bitcoin's slide, their combined IBIT exposure was around $803 million based on recent prices.

BlackRock and Coinbase will receive an 18% share of staking revenue from their upcoming Ethereum exchange-traded fund, ETHB. The fund aims to become the largest Ethereum ETF by offering staking rewards to investors, following SEC guidance on staking products as non-securities.

Bitdeer has surpassed MARA in self-mining hash rate, allocating 63.2 EH/s to Bitcoin's network. Bitdeer's growth was driven by deploying SEALMINER rigs, while MARA shifted focus to digital infrastructure and AI. Despite Bitdeer's success, MARA may still lead due to joint-venture operations in the Middle East.

Tomasz Stańczak, co-director of the Ethereum Foundation, advocates for integrating artificial intelligence into Ethereum's development process. AI could enhance efficiency by drafting proposals, moderating meetings, and even making decisions on network upgrades. However, AI models are not without flaws, such as producing false information.